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Presidents Letter, 2008 |
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The past year has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for the co-op with our fair share of ups and downs. On a very positive note, the gallery staff have again raised the bar and surpassed last year’s sales. Despite a dollar that was on par with the U.S. dollar, Laura and the staff have been able to expand both our market and our sales. We both congratulate and thank them for their diligence and passion in selling your work. As well, we undertook the licensed production of Derek Young’s product line, maintaining his high standards, but to volumes that are suited to market demand. This is the first of what we hope are many well-designed, highly marketable products that can be manufactured as part of our distributed branded line, Xyla. The flip side of the coin saw us make significant effort to find a suitable Granville Island location for a larger gallery. This posed a number of challenges for both the Co-op and for our landlord, CMHC. In short, it does not appear there is an opportunity to take over a space large enough to accommodate our growing needs without jeopardizing our success by placement in a poorer location. But we are optimistic and determined to enhance our retail presence on Granville Island. The demand for superbly handcrafted wood products has certainly grown since the gallery opened eight years ago, but so has the competition. This has taken the form of an increasing number of other high-quality retail outlets promoting and selling work around the province. In recognition of this trend, which is good for woodworkers but stressful to retailers, your Board of Directors is making efforts to bolster our relationships with artisans and their organizations. As well, we are going to further develop our branded product program, identify and develop new artisans and products, and establish a larger network of participating artisans by linking with schools, new groups and new individual artisans. Part of this effort will mean more involvement by gallery and Co-op staff and directors to ensure we maintain and strengthen lines of communication with you. We realize there are a number of opportunities for artisans to market and sell their works and we need to ensure we remain a preferred organization with which to do business. We will need your input to achieve this. The co-op has two websites — an award-winning gallery site, www.woodco-op.com, and one for the organization, www.woodco-op.org. We will be encouraging your feedback and suggestions through both of these sites. Don’t be shy (most of you never are). If we are to serve you as best we can, we need to hear from you when we do well, when we could improve and how we might incorporate better programs, ideas and outreach efforts. If you have ideas for gallery shows, Xyla product lines, media exposure or just want to bounce an idea off us, please let us know.
This year marked the second year for our Two + 1 interactive exhibitions in association with the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. This type of program is an example of the outreach we can make with future designers and artisans catering to the new demographics of urban living. It engages the Co-op, the Gallery, the designers and, most importantly, the consumer. Our Executive Director, Duane Laird, joined the co-op the day before our 2007 AGM. He has been instrumental in bringing our Xyla program to market and we look to him for guidance and the legwork to make this kind of thing happen. In the last year, we have also adjusted our membership criteria to reflect the changing nature of woodworking organizations in the province and recognize the needs of individuals who may not be able to participate as a member of a regional organization. This Direct Suppliers program allows artisans to submit products for jurying in the Gallery, but comes with no voting rights. However, these members are represented by two directors-at-large, both of whom come from regions where there is no organization to assist woodworkers. This new membership program started in the Fall of 2007. If you’d like more information on this program, or have a woodworker in mind that you think could benefit from being part of our co-op, please contact Duane Laird. Our co-op is entering it’s tenth year of operation, having been formed a year before the Gallery opened. We have accomplished much and made a difference to woodworkers in B.C. We have been instrumental in raising the profile of quality woodworking and could not have succeeded without the ongoing involvement of the artisans. The next few years offer us many new opportunities and challenges which may prove to be as exciting as those we have experienced. We’d ask you to join with us and see how we can achieve even greater success in the decade to come. Sincerely,
Peter Moonen |